UNA-USA Opens Application Period for Next U.S. Youth Observer at the UN General Assembly

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United Nations Association of the USA teams with the U.S. Department of State to send one student to the United Nations to make the youth voice heard on international stage.

UNA-USA

Young citizens across the United States are passionate about issues that transcend our own borders, and they want to be involved in helping find solutions to the most challenging problems the world faces.

WASHINGTON (PRWEB)August 06, 2013

The United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA) and the U.S. Department of State are now accepting applications for the U.S. Youth Observer at the UN General Assembly. The popular program debuted last year with more than 730 applicants from 47 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The program gives young U.S. citizens the chance of a lifetime; an opportunity to see the United Nations in action and in person during the UN General Assembly and other high-profile UN events throughout the year – and then report on their experiences to their peers and the rest of the world.

“The youth voice is being empowered on a global stage because of this program,” said UNA-USA Deputy Executive Director Mary-Frances Wain. “Young citizens across the United States are passionate about issues that transcend our own borders, and they want to be involved in helping find solutions to the most challenging problems the world faces.”

The individual chosen as the U.S. Youth Observer will engage with the UN as well as UNA-USA and its members at a critical time, as the UN interacts with young people across the U.S. at an unprecedented level through the Post-2015 Development Agenda dialogue. He or she will attend events during UN General Assembly week in New York City, as well as a number of side events around the Social, Humanitarian Cultural Affairs Committee (Third Committee) of the General Assembly. The debut of the Youth Observer program in 2012 was met with excitement and an overwhelming response; applicants hailed from 236 different colleges and universities around the country.

Brooke Loughrin, now a senior at Boston College, was chosen last year to be the first-ever U.S.Youth Observer. She attended high-profile UN and UN-related events, met with her members of Congress in Washington, DC, and spoke at the 2012 Social Good Summit as well as during UNA-USA’s 2013 Members’ Day at the UN. Loughrin’s experiences as the Youth Observer were captured in a documentary, YO! The U.S. Youth Observer at the UN.

Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, August 20, 2013. To view the documentary and obtain more information on the program, please visit http://www.unausa.org/usyouth.

ABOUT UNA-USA
The United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) is a membership organization dedicated to inform, inspire, and mobilize the American people to support the ideals and vital work of the United Nations. For 70 years UNA-USA has worked to accomplish its mission through its national network of Chapters, youth engagement, advocacy efforts, education programs, and public events. UNA-USA is a program of the United Nations Foundation. UNA-USA and its sister organization the Better World Campaign represent the single largest network of advocates and supporters of the United Nations in the world. Learn more about UNA-USA’s programs and initiatives at http://www.unausa.org.

ABOUT THE UNITED NATIONS FOUNDATION
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit http://www.unfoundation.org.